Huntsville's CFD Research signs $2.85M subcontract for US Navy power system program

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – A $2.85 million subcontract with Honeywell International will help Huntsville-based CFD Research Corporation protect the warfighter through the development of a new U.S. Navy Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) prime power system.

CFDRC announced this week it will provide engineering, design, development and testing of a customized Ram Air Turbine Generation (RATG) assembly at its offices at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville and in Scottsboro. The RATG will provide electrical power to the NGJ pod, which is under development by Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems.

CFDRC, which hopes to do more R&D work in the operational weapon and commercial systems industries in the long-term, is partnering with Honeywell to move the RATG from flight demonstration into battlefield.

"We started with a conceptual design as part of an SBIR Phase I proposal and now we are teamed with Honeywell to transition this technology into the warfighter's hands," said Matthew Thomas, CFDRC project manager and director of propulsion and power.

CFDRC was founded in 1987 and serves the aerospace, defense, biomedical, life sciences, and energy and materials industries. The company has produced several significant technologies, including SynVivo (a cell-based microchip used for drug development), BioBattery (a clean, safe, renewable and portable power source) and more.

President and CEO Joseph M. Cosumano Jr., a retired Lieutenant General who joined the company in 2013, said CFDRC's work with Honeywell and Raytheon will provide "the next generation airborne electronic jamming technology to our warfighters."

"This is a testament to the success of the SBIR program that allows small companies like CFDRC to innovate and contribute to programs of national interest," he said.